[Westheim]

The picture of 32-year old Vern Kinnear, big yellow #16 on his blue uni, stomping on first base with the right fist raised high graces the Portland Agitator’s front page as well.

Portland fans got the message.

Carlosito didn’t.

Our 2002 budget will be barely less constricting than the 2001 budget, with $16.36M available, about $600k more than last year. The rumors of the Raccoons getting sold were entirely unfounded. (The Wolves got sold, though...) Which is terrible, because the Raccoons will remain terrible. It is October 22, 2001 – and we have already completed the 2002 season with a losing record.

While this is technically the sixth-smallest budget in the ABL, the difference to the third-smallest is miniscule, and beneath that are the perpetually perplexingly poor-playing Knights, and then the horrendous Pacifics, who have been slashed to $12.96M by their owners after repeated BS moves by routinely-fired GM’s. The team is still forecast to bleed money this season, and turn a loss of up to $4M.

More losses: Scott Wade knew he was finished, and called it a career. After 582 games (421 starts), going 170-141 with 53 saves and 1,417 strikeouts in 2,924 innings, Wade will go fishing. He is the third significant player to have spent his entire professional career in the Raccoons’ system, joining Daniel Hall and Grant West.

It also makes Daniel Miller the last player active during our first championship run in 1992, with Neil Reece the only other asset that was then in a full time role (but missed the World Series due to injury).

Around the sport, the Hall of Fame had one inductee this season, PIT SP Leland Lewis, who was the second overall pick in the 1979 draft and spent the next 16 1/2 years in the Bigs with the Miners. He had an unsuccessful attempt to prolong his career with the Aces in 1996. In total, he went 238-208 with a 3.45 ERA, and 2,664 strikeouts. He was a 6-time All Star and was the 1982 FL Pitcher of the Year, the year the underdog Miners went to the World Series, but lost. He won 11 or more games for 15 consecutive seasons, but never won 20.

In Cincy, 1977 first round pick Andres Ramirez ended his career at age 41, after having closed *770* games in a career spanning the entire history of the ABL, donning the uniforms of seven different teams (three of them twice), and winning two rings with the 1978 Warriors and 1996 Capitals along the way.

A few other players retired, most notably perhaps BOS SP Esteban Román and WAS OF Jesus Árias.

What on earth are we supposed to get done with this fraction of a budget? The Warriors, despite losing in the World Series every year, will be able to blow more than $27M this year. The Raccoons might be overbudget right after salary arbitration… Yes, here it comes. Another winter of selling inventory.